Airbnb split payment for iOS
10-week collaborative project to transform how group travellers handle payments.
Role
UX research
Product strategy
UI design
Interaction design
Usability testing
Tools
Figjam
Figma
Dovetail
Maze
Google forms
Timeline
10 weeks (part-time)
Airbnb is an online platform that allows individuals or groups to book short- or long-term stays and experiences. Currently, in group travel situations, individuals must reserve accommodations and request reimbursement from their families, friends, or colleagues after paying.
The project spanned over ten weeks and involved collaborating with another designer who lived across the globe with a 12-hour time difference. My role included initial research, synthesis, benchmarking, information architecture mapping, wireframing, prototyping, and conducting usability testing.
The challenge
Our goal for the project was to enhance the user experience of booking accommodation as a group. We want to make it easier for groups to split the cost of an Airbnb when travelling together without one person covering the entire fee upfront. The user segment we'd like to target is travellers in larger parties, such as families, friends, and co-workers who have two or more payers.
Our high-level goals were to:
make a seamless experience for group booking accommodation.
increase repeat bookings for group travel.
create an all-in-one platform that can assist groups in planning and managing accommodation bookings experience.
The discovery
To start the discovery process we started writing our qualitative research survey, combining closed and open-ended questions and reached out to 15 participants. Our goal here was to understand the challenges that users faced during the group travel payment process and planning.
Synthesis process:
From above process, we found out:
Different preference
Every traveller has their preferences and travelling in a larger group means more preferences that need to be considered. This can be overwhelming for travellers when they are presented with a lot of choices and considerations, making it difficult to decide on the final accommodation for the group.
Calculation problem
Calculating an equal share of accommodation among many travellers can be difficult and prone to errors.
Time-consuming
The process of calculating expenses, ensuring accuracy, informing team members of their share, and waiting for reimbursement can be lengthy and cumbersome. This inconvenience can cause people to feel uncertain.
Payment and reminder challenge
Ensuring everyone makes a payment can be challenging. Additionally, some people said they feel uncomfortable to remind people of the money.
The problem space
Groups that have two or more payers need an efficient way to manage and split their accommodation expenses because they want to share the expense quickly with flexible customization. However, letting one person cover the cost and calculate manually leads to a decrease in satisfaction with the group booking experience and a prolonged booking journey.
How might we enable groups to manage and split accommodation expenses in a way that is convenient and intuitive?
The solution
Our goal for the project was to enhance the user experience of booking accommodation as a group. We want to make it easier for groups to split the cost of an Airbnb when travelling together without one person covering the entire fee upfront. The user segment we'd like to target is travellers in larger parties, such as families, friends, and co-workers who have two or more payers.
In-app split payment feature
Introducing an in-app split payment feature allowing the traveller to split the payment during the booking process.
The booking process will be the same as usual. One of the travellers still needs to fill in all the information (we call the admin). However, in the payment section, the admin can add another payer. We make it easier for users to add the payers by allowing users to add contacts from groups, recent Airbnb friends or email addresses.
Admin can decide to split the payment equally or customize it.
After admin places the booking, the countdown will start. The accommodation will be held for your group for 24 hours. The admin and other payers in a group have 24 hours to complete the payment. The admin has the advantage of sending the other payers reminders to make the payment, contact the host or update the reservation.
Once all the payments are complete, the accommodation will automatically booked for your group. However, if there is a hiccup on the payment process the admin can decide to cover for the booking payment or cancel the booking.
Vote feature
To help travellers decide the overwhelming options we are introducing a new feature, vote. Where all of the contributors can give their voice and express their opinions, this feature will be added to the Wishlist section. To make this collaboration process easier, we revamp the sharing option, allowing users to add recent collaborators or use email to invite members.
Users can create a new Wishlist and invite a member using an email address. If they have collaborated before, they can add from the recent friends on Airbnb.
On the Wishlist page users can see the collaborator by their initial or profile picture if any.
Users have the option to set the voting system for accommodations to either multiple or single answers. Once users cast their vote, their initials or profile picture will be displayed in the corner of the accommodation image, allowing everyone to see who voted for their favourite accommodation. Additionally, the accommodations will be sorted from most voted to least voted. This will make it easier for users to quickly identify which one has received the highest number of votes without scrolling back and forth to manually count it.
How we get here?
We began by analyzing survey data to understand user preferences and organizing the data into an affinity diagram. After conducting competitor benchmarks and ideation sessions, we examined the existing user flow for potential enhancements. Although we faced challenges during the user flow process, we conducted in-depth research on the business model and developed the final flow, User Flow 2.0.
Survey results
Survey results before analizing.
Affinity maps (complete)
The grouping process before drawing our conclusions
Competitor benchmarking
We are doing direct and indirect benchmarking, VRBO and Splitwise, below is our process. We learned a lot from Splitwise for a seamless split payment process and were able to simplify our process.
Ideations
Here is our brainstorm ideas ow what we think can be added/improve.
User flow 1.0
We are starting by examining the booking process of Airbnb, from selecting the travel dates, destination, and number of travellers to the point where the accommodation is confirmed. Our next step is to create a new user flow that includes additional features such as split payment and voting options. However, during the developing process of an improved user flow, we have encountered some hiccups and constraints that need to be addressed.
First, we decided to make the booking process as is and add the split payment options at the end where travellers can calculate and split the cost in Airbnb and the user will transfer the money themselves.
We made a point that holding the booking for 48-72 hours might negatively impact hosts since some group members might not pay in time. Hosts might lose other potential bookings. The host won't get the payment right away.
Additionally, we thought it would be better if one member secured the booking and got the confirmation from the host before others paid them back because sometimes the host could cancel last minute. If we directly split the cost during the payment and the host didn’t confirm our booking, the traveller's point of contact would need to return the money to the members (adding more tasks).
However, this flow was not ideal, and we were unable to solve the problem. One person still needed to cover the whole payment. Then, a traveller may not be aware of this added feature because this happened at the end of the booking process. We are focusing on how this change affects the host, but this cannot solve the main problem we are having.
User flow 2.0
We are creating a new flow where we incorporated the split payment feature during the payment process to make it more visible and easier on the traveller's money management.
The booking process still needs to be done by one person, we will call this person admin.
Then, the admin will fill in all the info, add members, and decide how to split the cost (even, percentage, etc). When using the split payment process users will be given 24 hours to complete the payment. (We think this time frame should be okay for the host because sometimes we need to wait 1-2 days for the host to confirm/accept our booking). Each member needs to confirm and complete their payment to Airbnb (more secure with individual confirmation). Each member needs to have an account with Airbnb to complete this payment. (The advantage to Airbnb, more people become users). If each member fails to make the payment after 24 hours admin needs to cover the cost, or the admin can cancel the booking before 24 hours.
The crafting
Our goal for the project was to enhance the user experience of booking accommodation as a group. We want to make it easier for groups to split the cost of an Airbnb when travelling together without one person covering the entire fee upfront. The user segment we'd like to target is travellers in larger parties, such as families, friends, and co-workers who have two or more payers.
Wireframes
below are some of the wireframes we created
UI styles and components
Since we are adding a new feature to the existing iOS app, we are using Airbnb's current style guide. However, some of the components might not currently be available so we are creating new components while maintaining Airbnb's look and feel.
High fidelity prototype
Here are some of the high-fidelity looks for our new feature.
The usability testing
We are using Maze to do our usability testing, We sent out the test to 5 people.
Test outcomes
After testing the prototype, we found that 70% of users were satisfied with the efficiency of splitting accommodation fees and successfully completed the booking process. This improvement is expected to reduce the time spent on the calculation process when splitting accommodation fees, ultimately leading to an increase in repeat bookings for group travel.
Next steps
If we are given more time to iterate, we would like to expanding the user flow process, specifically the member who receives an invitation to make a payment. As some of the processes may have different screen layouts, such as the invitation page and reminder notification, I would like to examine each of these to ensure consistency in the user experience.
Key learnings
This is a complex process, since airBnb involves multiple parts of the business. We are trying to understand the needs, behaviors and pain points of both the travellers and hosts when deciding to make any changes in the process. This will help ensure that any modifications made do not create any difficulties for either party involved.
Jane Tedjasukmana
© 2024 Janetedja
Airbnb split payment for iOS
10-week collaborative project to transform how group travellers handle payments.
Role
UX research
Product strategy
UI design
Interaction design
Usability testing
Tools
Figjam
Figma
Dovetail
Maze
Google forms
Timeline
10 weeks (part-time)
Airbnb is an online platform that allows individuals or groups to book short- or long-term stays and experiences. Currently, in group travel situations, individuals must reserve accommodations and request reimbursement from their families, friends, or colleagues after paying.
The project spanned over ten weeks and involved collaborating with another designer who lived across the globe with a 12-hour time difference. My role included initial research, synthesis, benchmarking, information architecture mapping, wireframing, prototyping, and conducting usability testing.
The challenge
Our goal for the project was to enhance the user experience of booking accommodation as a group. We want to make it easier for groups to split the cost of an Airbnb when travelling together without one person covering the entire fee upfront. The user segment we'd like to target is travellers in larger parties, such as families, friends, and co-workers who have two or more payers.
Our high-level goals were to:
make a seamless experience for group booking accommodation.
increase repeat bookings for group travel.
create an all-in-one platform that can assist groups in planning and managing accommodation bookings experience.
The discovery
To start the discovery process we started writing our qualitative research survey, combining closed and open-ended questions and reached out to 15 participants. Our goal here was to understand the challenges that users faced during the group travel payment process and planning.
Synthesis process:
From above process, we found out:
Different preference
Every traveller has their preferences and travelling in a larger group means more preferences that need to be considered. This can be overwhelming for travellers when they are presented with a lot of choices and considerations, making it difficult to decide on the final accommodation for the group.
Calculation problem
Calculating an equal share of accommodation among many travellers can be difficult and prone to errors.
Time-consuming
The process of calculating expenses, ensuring accuracy, informing team members of their share, and waiting for reimbursement can be lengthy and cumbersome. This inconvenience can cause people to feel uncertain.
Payment and reminder challenge
Ensuring everyone makes a payment can be challenging. Additionally, some people said they feel uncomfortable to remind people of the money.
The problem space
Groups that have two or more payers need an efficient way to manage and split their accommodation expenses because they want to share the expense quickly with flexible customization. However, letting one person cover the cost and calculate manually leads to a decrease in satisfaction with the group booking experience and a prolonged booking journey.
How might we enable groups to manage and split accommodation expenses in a way that is convenient and intuitive?
The solution
Our goal for the project was to enhance the user experience of booking accommodation as a group. We want to make it easier for groups to split the cost of an Airbnb when travelling together without one person covering the entire fee upfront. The user segment we'd like to target is travellers in larger parties, such as families, friends, and co-workers who have two or more payers.
In-app split payment feature
Introducing an in-app split payment feature allowing the traveller to split the payment during the booking process.
The booking process will be the same as usual. One of the travellers still needs to fill in all the information (we call the admin). However, in the payment section, the admin can add another payer. We make it easier for users to add the payers by allowing users to add contacts from groups, recent Airbnb friends or email addresses.
Admin can decide to split the payment equally or customize it.
After admin places the booking, the countdown will start. The accommodation will be held for your group for 24 hours. The admin and other payers in a group have 24 hours to complete the payment. The admin has the advantage of sending the other payers reminders to make the payment, contact the host or update the reservation.
Once all the payments are complete, the accommodation will automatically booked for your group. However, if there is a hiccup on the payment process the admin can decide to cover for the booking payment or cancel the booking.
Vote feature
To help travellers decide the overwhelming options we are introducing a new feature, vote. Where all of the contributors can give their voice and express their opinions, this feature will be added to the Wishlist section. To make this collaboration process easier, we revamp the sharing option, allowing users to add recent collaborators or use email to invite members.
Users can create a new Wishlist and invite a member using an email address. If they have collaborated before, they can add from the recent friends on Airbnb.
On the Wishlist page users can see the collaborator by their initial or profile picture if any.
Users have the option to set the voting system for accommodations to either multiple or single answers. Once users cast their vote, their initials or profile picture will be displayed in the corner of the accommodation image, allowing everyone to see who voted for their favourite accommodation. Additionally, the accommodations will be sorted from most voted to least voted. This will make it easier for users to quickly identify which one has received the highest number of votes without scrolling back and forth to manually count it.
How we get here?
We began by analyzing survey data to understand user preferences and organizing the data into an affinity diagram. After conducting competitor benchmarks and ideation sessions, we examined the existing user flow for potential enhancements. Although we faced challenges during the user flow process, we conducted in-depth research on the business model and developed the final flow, User Flow 2.0.
Survey results
Survey results before analizing.
Affinity maps (complete)
The grouping process before drawing our conclusions
Competitor benchmarking
We are doing direct and indirect benchmarking, VRBO and Splitwise, below is our process. We learned a lot from Splitwise for a seamless split payment process and were able to simplify our process.
Ideations
Here is our brainstorm ideas ow what we think can be added/improve.
User flow 1.0
We are starting by examining the booking process of Airbnb, from selecting the travel dates, destination, and number of travellers to the point where the accommodation is confirmed. Our next step is to create a new user flow that includes additional features such as split payment and voting options. However, during the developing process of an improved user flow, we have encountered some hiccups and constraints that need to be addressed.
First, we decided to make the booking process as is and add the split payment options at the end where travellers can calculate and split the cost in Airbnb and the user will transfer the money themselves.
We made a point that holding the booking for 48-72 hours might negatively impact hosts since some group members might not pay in time. Hosts might lose other potential bookings. The host won't get the payment right away.
Additionally, we thought it would be better if one member secured the booking and got the confirmation from the host before others paid them back because sometimes the host could cancel last minute. If we directly split the cost during the payment and the host didn’t confirm our booking, the traveller's point of contact would need to return the money to the members (adding more tasks).
However, this flow was not ideal, and we were unable to solve the problem. One person still needed to cover the whole payment. Then, a traveller may not be aware of this added feature because this happened at the end of the booking process. We are focusing on how this change affects the host, but this cannot solve the main problem we are having.
User flow 2.0
We are creating a new flow where we incorporated the split payment feature during the payment process to make it more visible and easier on the traveller's money management.
The booking process still needs to be done by one person, we will call this person admin.
Then, the admin will fill in all the info, add members, and decide how to split the cost (even, percentage, etc). When using the split payment process users will be given 24 hours to complete the payment. (We think this time frame should be okay for the host because sometimes we need to wait 1-2 days for the host to confirm/accept our booking). Each member needs to confirm and complete their payment to Airbnb (more secure with individual confirmation). Each member needs to have an account with Airbnb to complete this payment. (The advantage to Airbnb, more people become users). If each member fails to make the payment after 24 hours admin needs to cover the cost, or the admin can cancel the booking before 24 hours.
The crafting
Our goal for the project was to enhance the user experience of booking accommodation as a group. We want to make it easier for groups to split the cost of an Airbnb when travelling together without one person covering the entire fee upfront. The user segment we'd like to target is travellers in larger parties, such as families, friends, and co-workers who have two or more payers.
Wireframes
below are some of the wireframes we created
UI styles and components
Since we are adding a new feature to the existing iOS app, we are using Airbnb's current style guide. However, some of the components might not currently be available so we are creating new components while maintaining Airbnb's look and feel.
High fidelity prototype
Here are some of the high-fidelity looks for our new feature.
The usability testing
We are using Maze to do our usability testing, We sent out the test to 5 people.
Test outcomes
After testing the prototype, we found that 70% of users were satisfied with the efficiency of splitting accommodation fees and successfully completed the booking process. This improvement is expected to reduce the time spent on the calculation process when splitting accommodation fees, ultimately leading to an increase in repeat bookings for group travel.
Next steps
If we are given more time to iterate, we would like to expanding the user flow process, specifically the member who receives an invitation to make a payment. As some of the processes may have different screen layouts, such as the invitation page and reminder notification, I would like to examine each of these to ensure consistency in the user experience.
Key learnings
This is a complex process, since airBnb involves multiple parts of the business. We are trying to understand the needs, behaviors and pain points of both the travellers and hosts when deciding to make any changes in the process. This will help ensure that any modifications made do not create any difficulties for either party involved.
Jane Tedjasukmana
© 2024 Janetedja
Airbnb split payment for iOS
10-week collaborative project to transform how group travellers handle payments.
Role
UX research
Product strategy
UI design
Interaction design
Usability testing
Tools
Figjam
Figma
Dovetail
Maze
Google forms
Timeline
10 weeks (part-time)
Airbnb is an online platform that allows individuals or groups to book short- or long-term stays and experiences. Currently, in group travel situations, individuals must reserve accommodations and request reimbursement from their families, friends, or colleagues after paying.
The project spanned over ten weeks and involved collaborating with another designer who lived across the globe with a 12-hour time difference. My role included initial research, synthesis, benchmarking, information architecture mapping, wireframing, prototyping, and conducting usability testing.
The challenge
Our goal for the project was to enhance the user experience of booking accommodation as a group. We want to make it easier for groups to split the cost of an Airbnb when travelling together without one person covering the entire fee upfront. The user segment we'd like to target is travellers in larger parties, such as families, friends, and co-workers who have two or more payers.
Our high-level goals were to:
make a seamless experience for group booking accommodation.
increase repeat bookings for group travel.
create an all-in-one platform that can assist groups in planning and managing accommodation bookings experience.
The discovery
To start the discovery process we started writing our qualitative research survey, combining closed and open-ended questions and reached out to 15 participants. Our goal here was to understand the challenges that users faced during the group travel payment process and planning.
Synthesis process:
From above process, we found out:
Different preference
Every traveller has their preferences and travelling in a larger group means more preferences that need to be considered. This can be overwhelming for travellers when they are presented with a lot of choices and considerations, making it difficult to decide on the final accommodation for the group.
Calculation problem
Calculating an equal share of accommodation among many travellers can be difficult and prone to errors.
Time-consuming
The process of calculating expenses, ensuring accuracy, informing team members of their share, and waiting for reimbursement can be lengthy and cumbersome. This inconvenience can cause people to feel uncertain.
Payment and reminder challenge
Ensuring everyone makes a payment can be challenging. Additionally, some people said they feel uncomfortable to remind people of the money.
The problem space
Groups that have two or more payers need an efficient way to manage and split their accommodation expenses because they want to share the expense quickly with flexible customization. However, letting one person cover the cost and calculate manually leads to a decrease in satisfaction with the group booking experience and a prolonged booking journey.
How might we enable groups to manage and split accommodation expenses in a way that is convenient and intuitive?
The solution
Our goal for the project was to enhance the user experience of booking accommodation as a group. We want to make it easier for groups to split the cost of an Airbnb when travelling together without one person covering the entire fee upfront. The user segment we'd like to target is travellers in larger parties, such as families, friends, and co-workers who have two or more payers.
In-app split payment feature
Introducing an in-app split payment feature allowing the traveller to split the payment during the booking process.
The booking process will be the same as usual. One of the travellers still needs to fill in all the information (we call the admin). However, in the payment section, the admin can add another payer. We make it easier for users to add the payers by allowing users to add contacts from groups, recent Airbnb friends or email addresses.
Admin can decide to split the payment equally or customize it.
After admin places the booking, the countdown will start. The accommodation will be held for your group for 24 hours. The admin and other payers in a group have 24 hours to complete the payment. The admin has the advantage of sending the other payers reminders to make the payment, contact the host or update the reservation.
Once all the payments are complete, the accommodation will automatically booked for your group. However, if there is a hiccup on the payment process the admin can decide to cover for the booking payment or cancel the booking.
Vote feature
To help travellers decide the overwhelming options we are introducing a new feature, vote. Where all of the contributors can give their voice and express their opinions, this feature will be added to the Wishlist section. To make this collaboration process easier, we revamp the sharing option, allowing users to add recent collaborators or use email to invite members.
Users can create a new Wishlist and invite a member using an email address. If they have collaborated before, they can add from the recent friends on Airbnb.
On the Wishlist page users can see the collaborator by their initial or profile picture if any.
Users have the option to set the voting system for accommodations to either multiple or single answers. Once users cast their vote, their initials or profile picture will be displayed in the corner of the accommodation image, allowing everyone to see who voted for their favourite accommodation. Additionally, the accommodations will be sorted from most voted to least voted. This will make it easier for users to quickly identify which one has received the highest number of votes without scrolling back and forth to manually count it.
How we get here?
We began by analyzing survey data to understand user preferences and organizing the data into an affinity diagram. After conducting competitor benchmarks and ideation sessions, we examined the existing user flow for potential enhancements. Although we faced challenges during the user flow process, we conducted in-depth research on the business model and developed the final flow, User Flow 2.0.
Survey results
Survey results before analizing.
Affinity maps (complete)
The grouping process before drawing our conclusions
Competitor benchmarking
We are doing direct and indirect benchmarking, VRBO and Splitwise, below is our process. We learned a lot from Splitwise for a seamless split payment process and were able to simplify our process.
Ideations
Here is our brainstorm ideas ow what we think can be added/improve.
User flow 1.0
We are starting by examining the booking process of Airbnb, from selecting the travel dates, destination, and number of travellers to the point where the accommodation is confirmed. Our next step is to create a new user flow that includes additional features such as split payment and voting options. However, during the developing process of an improved user flow, we have encountered some hiccups and constraints that need to be addressed.
First, we decided to make the booking process as is and add the split payment options at the end where travellers can calculate and split the cost in Airbnb and the user will transfer the money themselves.
We made a point that holding the booking for 48-72 hours might negatively impact hosts since some group members might not pay in time. Hosts might lose other potential bookings. The host won't get the payment right away.
Additionally, we thought it would be better if one member secured the booking and got the confirmation from the host before others paid them back because sometimes the host could cancel last minute. If we directly split the cost during the payment and the host didn’t confirm our booking, the traveller's point of contact would need to return the money to the members (adding more tasks).
However, this flow was not ideal, and we were unable to solve the problem. One person still needed to cover the whole payment. Then, a traveller may not be aware of this added feature because this happened at the end of the booking process. We are focusing on how this change affects the host, but this cannot solve the main problem we are having.
User flow 2.0
We are creating a new flow where we incorporated the split payment feature during the payment process to make it more visible and easier on the traveller's money management.
The booking process still needs to be done by one person, we will call this person admin.
Then, the admin will fill in all the info, add members, and decide how to split the cost (even, percentage, etc). When using the split payment process users will be given 24 hours to complete the payment. (We think this time frame should be okay for the host because sometimes we need to wait 1-2 days for the host to confirm/accept our booking). Each member needs to confirm and complete their payment to Airbnb (more secure with individual confirmation). Each member needs to have an account with Airbnb to complete this payment. (The advantage to Airbnb, more people become users). If each member fails to make the payment after 24 hours admin needs to cover the cost, or the admin can cancel the booking before 24 hours.
The crafting
Our goal for the project was to enhance the user experience of booking accommodation as a group. We want to make it easier for groups to split the cost of an Airbnb when travelling together without one person covering the entire fee upfront. The user segment we'd like to target is travellers in larger parties, such as families, friends, and co-workers who have two or more payers.
Wireframes
below are some of the wireframes we created
UI styles and components
Since we are adding a new feature to the existing iOS app, we are using Airbnb's current style guide. However, some of the components might not currently be available so we are creating new components while maintaining Airbnb's look and feel.
High fidelity prototype
Here are some of the high-fidelity looks for our new feature.
The usability testing
We are using Maze to do our usability testing, We sent out the test to 5 people.
Test outcomes
After testing the prototype, we found that 70% of users were satisfied with the efficiency of splitting accommodation fees and successfully completed the booking process. This improvement is expected to reduce the time spent on the calculation process when splitting accommodation fees, ultimately leading to an increase in repeat bookings for group travel.
Next steps
If we are given more time to iterate, we would like to expanding the user flow process, specifically the member who receives an invitation to make a payment. As some of the processes may have different screen layouts, such as the invitation page and reminder notification, I would like to examine each of these to ensure consistency in the user experience.
Key learnings
This is a complex process, since airBnb involves multiple parts of the business. We are trying to understand the needs, behaviors and pain points of both the travellers and hosts when deciding to make any changes in the process. This will help ensure that any modifications made do not create any difficulties for either party involved.
Jane Tedjasukmana
© 2024 Janetedja